What will I be teaching?
Do I need special training?
How much will I be teaching?
What's the weather like?
What are the key dates?
Where will I be staying?
How much does it cost?
Will this project get cancelled?
Will we have internet access?
What medical facilities are there?
What immunizations do I need?
Are there safety precautions?
What will we be eating?
Is there any cultural training?
What are the long range plans?
Dr. Howell meeting with Buddhist school administrators in Bangkok, Thailand.
Students begin the school day with a chant. This is similar to American students reciting the pledge of allegiance.
Those taking the Bangkok tour will get to experience the majestic Grand Palace.
Those taking the Cambodian tour will get to experience one of the seven wonders of the medieval world - the amazing Angkor Wat.
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FAQs Frequently Asked Questions |
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Printable Version (pdf)
IT 343/743 Teaching, Technology & Thailand
This is the first year for this ‘Summer’ study abroad project so this is a work in progress. Additionally, this is a joint project between Emporia State University and Legacy Foundation. Although this is a university class, worth three credits from Emporia State University, volunteers are welcome to participate without taking the class for credit.
What will I be teaching?
You will teach students introductory English and/or basic technology subjects. We should have children classes and adult classes for both computer and English. All will probably know the English alphabet and simple reading.
Do I need special training? Are those enrolled in this class certified ESL teachers, technology teachers, certified teachers or anyone who speaks English?
Anyone who speaks English is the short answer. I will be setting up the curriculum for the technology and ESL classes for this project. I don't pretend to be an ESL expert so I'm looking for help and advice. When I taught ESL in Thailand and Sri Lanka, I used the Silent Way. Dr. Sehlaoui has advised the use of C.A.L.L. (Computer Assisted Language Learning) software. We’ve purchased over a dozen of these programs that we will be using.
What does a teaching day looks like?
Our plan is to have each teacher should have 2 classes in morning and 2 classes in afternoon, Monday through Friday with Saturday and Sunday off.
What will the weather/temperature be like and how should I dress for it?
Hot in day -- potentially cool at night. Dress in cotton and dress in layers. NO short shorts or sunning in bikinis at job site. Save this for R&R. Try to keep belly buttons covered because of cultural sensitivities. Always remember we are GUESTS and connected with palace. We must respect local sensitivities.
What are the key dates? (See the Calendar Link for more specifics!)
Online Class Starts: June 2nd
Choose One of Four Travel Options
Option 1: Teach session 1: Teach from June 30th to July 10th.
This group will fly from Kansas City on June 26th and return to Kansas City on July 15th.
Option 2: Teach session 2 only Teach from July 15 to July 25th.
This group will fly from Kansas City on July 8th and return to Kansas City on July 25th.
Option 3: Teach Sessions 1 and 2
This group will fly from Kansas City on June 26th and return to Kansas City on July 16th.
Option 4: Teach sessions 1 and 2 and go on the Cambodia and Bangkok Tour.
This group will fly from Kansas City on June 26th and return to Kansas City on August 2nd.
Laos Tour (included for all options): July 11th to July 14th.
Cambodia and Bangkok Tour (optional): July 27th to August 1st.
*NOTE: Only those teaching both sessions have the option of going on the Cambodia and Bangkok tour. Also, until we pay for the plane tickets, the dates are approximate and could change one or two days in either direction.
What type of housing accommodations will we have?
A Thai style house with squat toilet, mosquito nets and klong jar baths. You've always heard about the 3rd world. Now you get to experience it first hand. I've applied for a sabbatical to work on this project. If it is accepted, I will be bringing my entire family along. My three elementary school age kids will be living here with us. If my seven year old kid can do this, so can you!
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Many study abroad classes end up getting cancelled because of low interest. How many students do you have to have enrolled for the class to make?
None. If there are no students that sign up for this class, students from Legacy Institute will teach.
Will we be staying in the hill tribe areas the entire time or will we travel back to Chiang Mai on the weekends? I am hoping on having internet access during that time.
At present we are planning on traveling to Chiang Mai on the weekends where you will have access to the internet. Additional travel is always an added option at student's expense.
What is the availability of medical attention if one were to sprain an ankle or get sick and need a doctor's care?
Usually, the village has a clinic or small hospital. Serious medical attention would take at least an hour or two to get to a good hospital. ESU Study Abroad students are required to have health insurance that is valid for the country to which they are traveling.
What immunizations are required for travel there?
There are no immunizations that are REQUIRED for travel to Thailand. However, there are several that are recommended. You need to consult with your family doctor or get advice from the student health center here on campus and then make a decision that works best for you. All study abroad students sign a form that removes the school from liability. Your own health insurance may cover vaccines. Also, local health departments may be able to administer these vaccines. The student health center here at ESU, as recommended by the CDC, advises getting the following:
- Hep A (2 shots 6 months apart), Hep B (3 shots over 6 months), Typhoid
- Hep A costs $26 per shot; Hep B is $28 per shot; Typhoid is around $45 (at the student health center). If there is not time to complete the series, the majority of the immunity comes from the first dose of Hep A and the first 2 doses of Hep B.
- Routine updates of Tetanus ($45), MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella), and a one-time adult dose of Injectable Polio Vaccine (IPV).
- MMR and IPV are not available at student health.
- Malaria prophylaxis is recommended. Fortunately the inexpensive pills are recommended for this area of Thailand.
- Doxycycline 100mg daily for 2 days prior to arrival, during the stay and for 4 weeks after return. Other options are available for those who cannot take tetracyclines.
- Japanese Encephalitis and Rabies may possibly be advised.
- These are not available at student health services.
What are some of the safety precautions?
Don't travel alone, especially if you are a girl. Don't wonder off into the jungle. Don't have unprotected sex with locals (even in the big city). Don't get drunk unless you have a SOBER friend you can trust with you at all times. Have plenty of mosquito repellant and use it liberally. Everyone should sleep under mosquito net ALWAYS evenings and at night. Don't drink the water. Make sure it is bottled or at least boiled. (TRUST ME -- YOU WILL GET SICK IF YOU DRINK BAD WATER!) Some may get diarrhea for a few days as the internal bacteria needs to get adjusted. Nothing to worry about, this is natural. If diarrhea lasts more than a week -we need to take to hospital.
I was wondering what type of food was going to be eaten on the Thailand
trip?
Fried rice, Thai soups and lots of veggies. Our partner, Legacy Institute, has years of experience as to what goes over well with Americans. But you have to understand it is not going to be hamburgers, french fries and pizza. It will be lots of veggies, rice and a little meat. If you have McDonald's withdrawal symptoms you will need to get junk food fixes with your own money when you get to Chiang Mai (on the weekends).
On the weekends in Chiang Mai, as part of our cultural training, we will do our best to share with you some of the wonders of Thai cuisine. I will mention that Thai fried rice with pineapples is great as are Thai curries. Kang Keaw Wan (Thai Green Sweet Curry) is my favorite food on the planet, and I'm a guy that won a pizza eating contest in college. If they had a Thai curry contest, I'd probably still be eating. I will also mention that Thai fruits are amazing. Mangosteen, rambutan, longan, jackfruit and the king of all Asian fruits - Durian, should all be in season in July when we go, as well as plenty of the different types of bananas grown in Thailand. http://www.chiangmai-chiangrai.com/fruit-tfruit.html
What culture training will be given about Thailand and the Hilltribes?
The online portion of the class that starts in early June is an orientation that will cover this material. More specifically we will cover the Thai greeting, position of the hands, famous faux pas (left hand), language differences (royalty, monks, lay), the pursuit of modernization that destroyed the pink village, average day in the life of a thai (hilltribe, urban, rural, male, female, child, etc.) We also want to showcase how Americans have been perceived in these areas by reading a book called "The Ugly American." this book is dated but is based around a fictional country in S.E.Asia and still has material that is applicable.
What are the long range plans for this project?
Long range plans for this class over the next few years plan to integrate internet via satellite and the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). On a May 20, 2007 episode on CBS’s 60 Minutes MIT’s Negroponte shows how a 10-year old in a remote Cambodian village, who has never experienced electricity before, figures out the computer in about three minutes without any help. For this to be true, it requires a high level of Instructional Design to be developed into both the hardware and software. MIT’s pilot run in the remote Cambodian village showcased a number of other findings regarding the durability of the laptop, theft prevention technology and recharging alternatives in areas without electricity. Interestingly, first grade enrollment increased by 50 percent after children who attended class received a computer. When these $100 laptops are eventually allowed into Thailand we want to have the software and educational logistics worked out so we will be prepared to use these on a much bigger scale.